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Thursday, January 23, 2014

Welcome Back

The sun was up before I reached Briones Peak - I felt somewhat disappointed. The last quarter mile of trail up and over the top leads south-east so instead of seeing Mt. Diablo back-lit by the glowing embers of a new day, I was dazzled, stumbling blindly across the ridge. Saturday dawned a warm morning for January, so by the time the sun was up, I was already sweating and feeling over-dressed. It was 37 degrees when I drove away from the house, but after sweating up hills for an hour I found I had overdressed. The tights were too much after a 5 mile run with 1000' of elevation gain, and I found shorts to be quite comfortable as I transitioned to the mountain bike. I didn't regret the change. Run, Bike, Sweat, Burn. No rain in months and, alas, none in the forcast, so the trails are quite nice. It got up to 70 degrees.

I think I can announce that I am officially running again. So far so good anyway. I've been experimenting with some short slow runs, and have been hesitant to make any bold statements.

With a hand-full of 5 mile runs and solid 9.5 mile run over the last couple weeks, I feel I may be back in the sport. All the research I've perused regarding "coming back" from an injury reflects a cautious, slow, measured approach - in direct opposition to my inclination. I'm all eagerness to be back running and the odds of me over-doing it are great. My cardio is already there and my legs are catching up fast since I've been peddling away the miles during my recovery, and though my Plantar Fasciitis is still in slow retreat, the running doesn't seem to be affecting it one way or the other; all of which means that I'm likely to start running faster and further than I should - before I should.

With a little patience, in a few weeks all of the residual pain from the plantar fascia should be completely replaced with the standard assortment of hard earned sore muscles.

I can't remember where I said it - and it may have been here in this blog, I haven't gone back to check - but it came out so naturally that it surprised even me. I was chatting with someone about my recovery and all the running I had missed, and frankly feeling a little morose. My comment was, "I've missed a lot of sunrises." And it has occurred to me that part of running, for me, is experiencing the raw natural world. The sunrise is mine when I'm running. The wildflowers are mine. The startled deer and coyote are mine. The scent of a sea breeze still hanging in the air on a foggy morning is mine. I share them with God alone. I've missed those times of running through His garden with Him. Sometimes we chat, but most times we just run along together enjoying each other's company. I think Saturday morning in that dazzling burst he said, "Welcome back."

3 comments:

If I could do sound on this, you would be hearing strains of "In the Garden". That song came to my mind as I read. I think you owe Mr. C. Austin Miles an apology for your opinion of his song. I am thinking on words to that tune to fit you. Whose knows one day I may have a hit.

Yes, you may have a point. Poets don't always get along well with each other. The melody is beautiful - it's just that last verse seems to leave one hanging with melancholy rather than happiness. But alas, I don't agree with every aspect of may of the songs I enjoy. A truce for now on this song - you may gain a victory yet.

Followers

A Winding Path

MTB Lakeport

My buddy (2nd best friend) Jeremy and I before riding Boggs Mtn.

Swintonism - defined

A Swintonism is the unintended use of Metaphor, Cliche, or other figure of speech in casual conversation, directly, and ironically coinciding with an immediately previous line of conversation or event. (This is not a pun, as puns are intentionally contrived for the humor of the listener. Per the definition, the Swintonism is unintentional)

Recent Swintonisms

---- Following is the response from my business partner after viewing the Death Ride website. "Sounds like a killer ride." Hmmm? Seemed a little obvious, but he claims it was a legit Swintonism.

---- In discussing the cost benefit of renting vs. buying another power washer, an employee stated that the benefit was on the side of purchasing, since the cost even on the first project "would be a wash." He would have liked to take credit for the pun - but we wouldn't let him. A Swintonism it was.

---- Via text message - "Vince bailed out." This was my report to another rider that Vince had decided not to ride because of torrential rains. I did not realize the play on words till it was already out.

---- In an email from a co-hiker, recapping her account of the roadside fire, witnessed by us one evening after hiking / jogging in Briones. (Which also had a significant role in my 5 week bout with Poison Oak) "I'm warming up to the night hiking"